


Stay

by tatooedlaura



Series: Life [8]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 05:31:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8477191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatooedlaura/pseuds/tatooedlaura
Summary: You said stay ...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to:
> 
> Mama Scully’s Party  
> Morning  
> Underwears  
> Maps  
> Nachos  
> Foul Ball  
> Promises

Good to his word, he drove her home, stopping in front of her apartment but leaving the car running, indicating he wouldn’t be coming in for hot chocolate or drunken Scrabble. Giving him a sideways glance as well as she could, given her aching face, “headed home then?”

“I probably should. Let you get some real sleep before work tomorrow. We’ve been home for four days now, so I have a feeling there’s a case brewing somewhere with our name on it because the last thing we should be allowed to do is sleep in our own beds for more than a few days.”

She saw it though, the look in his eye. The one silently screaming to ask him upstairs to hang out because after his faux pas from earlier, he needed her to tell him she wasn’t mad. It made her happy inside that he cared enough to feel bad for doing something that he had every right to do so and she planned on telling him that …

Once they got up to her place.

“Mulder?”

“Yeah?”

“Want to come up for awhile? Have some hot chocolate?”

He couldn’t hide his look of relief as he nodded, “not too long though, I need my beauty sleep.”

Once upstairs, Scully headed to the bathroom, emerging a moment later with a bottle of pills, shaking several in her hand as she walked by him into the kitchen. Noticing his concern, “headache.”

“Should you be taking those on top of the other pills they gave you?”

“I didn’t take the prescribed ones. I shouldn’t drive while on them and besides, I don’t really like the spinning feeling when I’m alone.”

“But you like the spinning feeling when you’re with me?”

Giving him a smile as she tightened the lid on the Ibuprofen, “don’t flatter yourself. I just didn’t want to die on the road on the way to a happy Sunday dinner … would have made the dessert course too depressing.”

Mulder laughed at this, wondering if he should kiss her again, “yeah, who wants a cupcake after that news.”

Wiggling her finger towards the microwave, “would you start warming up some water, please? I really need to go lay down for a minute.”

Water forgotten, he stopped her by the elbow, “are you sure you don’t just want to go to bed? I’m fine without the hot chocolate, honest. I don’t want to keep you up.”

The look in his eye, the utter and stripped down concern for her made her breath catch, then she broke contact, shifting her gaze from him to the microwave just over his left shoulder, “I’d like something to drink and I mostly just want to lay down because forcing myself to sit up hurts too much … too many muscles to stay upright.”

Holding on another second, he moved his head to once again meet her look, “don’t stay up on my account.”

“I like your account, Mulder. I enjoy late evening hot beverages with you and I would like to just sit with you a spell, okay? Promise.”

“Sit with you a spell? You like my account? Are you coming on to me, Agent Scully?”

Grasping the boldness that flitted through her mind, she moved forward against his chest, reaching up just enough to hook her index fingers in his front pockets, back too sore to hug him in the moment. Immediately, he did the same to her, fingers settled just inside pockets, not wanting to hurt her anymore that she already did.

His chest was hard under her cheek but soft to her skin, his flannel shirt old and comfortable, worn and wonderful. The warmth seeping into her made her want to melt on the spot, use him as a full body pillow to rest her weary bones.

They were never going to get their hot chocolate at this point.

She didn’t care.

Stepping backwards, she felt drunk with exhaustion and swaying slightly, took Mulder’s hand from her pocket and wove her fingers through his, “come with me, please.”

“Where to?”

Not bothering to shut off any lights that weren’t on her direct path, “I changed my mind. I need to sleep.”

Very nearly stopping their trek to her bedroom, he mumbled and pointed over his shoulder instead, “then I should go. Let you get some rest.”

Scully shook her head, halfway to dreamland and planning on keeping him beside her the whole time, slurring her words, “stay tonight.”

Feather, meet Mulder. Mulder, meet feather. Prepare to be knocked down.

“Stay with you?”

In the bedroom, she stopped by the mattress, “please.”

Needing no further invitation, he helped her up, got her shoes off, tucked her legs under the already thrown back comforter, pulled the sheets over her shoulders. With a kiss to her cheek, “I’ll be out on the couch.”

“No. Stay. With me.”

How could he ever say ‘no’ to those blinking, heavy-lidded, dark blue wonders of nature, with their ability to make him forget himself and the world around him, “okay.” Heading to the other side of the bed, he toed his own shoes off, pulled the flannel over his head, tossed it on the chair then climbed in beside her, careful not to jostle the mattress too much.

In her twilight state, she decided he was far away and she lightly grasped at his arm, “closer.”

Complying, he moved until he was nearly against her, to which she sighed happily, then scooted her head onto his bicep, forgoing her pillow, slinging her arm across his chest in silence.

Another contented sound emerged from her throat and Mulder, a small smile playing on his lips, dropped a kiss to the top of her head, “you said stay.”

Gathering a handful of his t-shirt, “and you stayed.”


End file.
